Humps and Cameras Are No Replacement for Proper Law Enforcement - Rep. Ray Hull
Rep. Ray Hull, Guest MINDSETTER™
Humps and Cameras Are No Replacement for Proper Law Enforcement - Rep. Ray Hull
The editorial made an important point—that surveillance cameras and speed humps are no replacement for actually enforcing basic traffic laws. I would add that such tactics are the politically easy route, steps that allow a mayoral administration to check off a box and say, “OK, we responded to the community's request for action, now let’s move on.” It’s an easy way out that hopes people will mistake a slapdash response for engaged, committed long-term support.
That’s what Providence’s neighborhoods desperately need and what its residents are asking for, not another round of poorly thought out programs that allow the city to put out a new contract and say they’ve solved the problem.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTUnfortunately, both Mayor Elorza and his former top aide (and now a candidate for Mayor) Brett Smiley, are both talking about speed humps but not really addressing the need for broader community input and a comprehensive approach that involves actively listening to our citizens and acting on their needs.
As a Providence police officer, I spend a significant amount of time talking to people throughout the city and listening to their concerns and, quite honestly, I don’t hear many of them making appeals for traffic calming measures, such as those being hastily thrown together by the Elorza administration, or pleading for a master plan to install them, as Smiley is now calling for.
No. What they want is a City Hall that is regularly engaged with community leaders to address problems in our neighborhoods that go beyond mere traffic improvements. They want a Mayor who understands the challenges they face and is willing to put in the work to make things better. They want solutions that are the result of ongoing communication with various constituencies in the city, solutions that are not suddenly imposed from on high, but are the result of consistent leadership that has made a point to listen to what people have to say and respond to them in a timely way with solutions based on their input.
Unfortunately, this latest attention over the bungled rollout of more speed humps throughout the city suggests we’re still seeing politicians engaged in the same old, self-serving discussions that end up producing precious little in the way of real results for the people of Providence.
Ray Hull is a State Representative in District 6 (Providence/North Providence) and a Sergeant with the Providence Police Department.